abuse 
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abuse (ə byo̵̅o̅z′; for n., ə byo̵̅o̅s′)
transitive verb abused abused′, abusing abus′·ing
- to use wrongly; misuse to abuse a privilege
- to hurt by treating badly; mistreat
- to inflict physical, sexual, or psychological harm upon
- to use insulting, coarse, or bad language about or to; revile
Etymology: ME abusen < OFr abuser < L abusus, pp. of abuti, misuse < ab-, away, from + uti, to use
noun
- wrong, bad, or excessive use
- mistreatment, esp. by the infliction of physical, sexual, or psychological harm; injury
- a bad, unjust, or corrupt custom or practice
- insulting or coarse language
- Obsolete deception
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Alternate definitions:
abuse
n.
Misuse
misuse, misapplication, perversion, debasement, degradation, ill-usage, misemployment, desecration, misappropriation, mishandling, mismanagement, pollution, improper use, exploitation, profanation, defilement, prostitution. Antonyms
respect, care*, veneration. * Insulting language
invective, revilement, vituperation; see blame 1, insult.Ill-treatment
injury, mistreatment, damage, harm, hurt, maltreatment, ill-usage, ill-treatment, molestation, molesting, battering, battery, outrage, impairment, wrong, injustice, violation, persecution, harassment.
abuse
v.
To treat badly
misuse, mistreat, insult, injure, hurt, harm, damage, impair, aggrieve, ill-treat, ill-use, batter, molest, maltreat, misemploy, misapply, misappropriate, wrong, persecute, torment, nag, victimize, oppress, ruin, mar, spoil, vulgarize, outrage, do wrong by, do wrong to, mishandle, pervert, profane, prostitute, desecrate, pollute, harass, manhandle, do an injustice to, take advantage of, exploit, overstrain, overwork, overtax, overdrive, overburden, violate, defile, impose upon, deprave, taint, debase, corrupt, squander, waste, dissipate, exhaust, do one's worst*, knock about*. To hurt with words
revile, malign, vilify, berate; see censure, scold, slander.
Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Converse of object
- hurl: Mark pushed the pram as they passed, and the students started hurling abuse.
Adjective modifier
- sexual: The sexual abuse of people with learning disabilities 20 November 2002 What do you expect at your age?
Modifies a noun
- allegation: McChav admits to child abuse allegations, read all about it.
Noun used with modifier
- alcohol: These may include drug or alcohol abuse, lack of a job or violent behavior.
Preposition: of
- contributor: Any abuse of contributors or other site members will result in the removal of your comment and a possible ban.
The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.
The greater the power, themore dangerous isthe abuse.
As to abuseöI thrive on it. Abuse, heartyabuse, is a tonic to all save men of indifferent health.
No one can be as calculatedly rude as the British, which amazes Americans, who do not understand studied insult and can only offer abuse as a substitute.
Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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MLA Style
"abuse." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009
- Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
- <www.yourdictionary.com/abuse>
APA Style
abuse. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary
- Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/abuse
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